YORK MENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH FUND
The future of mental health isn't just better treatment, it is better prevention
Mental health affects nearly every one of us, either through our own experiences or those of the people we love. Yet, the support available and the evidence behind it, still lags far behind what people need. Generally the approach to poor mental health focuses on responding to problems once they have reached crisis point. While treatment at that stage is vital, it is only part of the solution. To create lasting change, we must also understand how to prevent mental health problems before they begin, intervene earlier and promote lifelong mental wellbeing. This is where mental health research is crucial.
The York Mental Health Research Fund, formerly known as Mentally Fit York, supports pioneering mental health research at the University, helping researchers to unlock breakthroughs with the power to improve lives.
York’s real strength is its diversity - we have research across the whole spectrum from cellular work all the way up to epidemiological research - bringing together that diversity and interdisciplinarity is central to addressing new questions and unlocking the understanding needed to reduce the mental health burden.
Professor Scott Cairney, Director of the Institute of Mental Health Research
Unlocking answers at the Institute for Mental Health Research at York
The Institute for Mental Health Research at York (IMRY) brings together world-class expertise from multiple disciplines working to tackle mental health challenges from every perspective. We focus on understanding how mental health problems emerge, persist, and get resolved, with the goal of improving prevention, treatment, and recovery. Our research directly informs policy and enriches lives in schools, workplaces, healthcare settings and wider society.
Supporting mental health research at York
Mental health challenges continue to escalate both locally in York, globally and even here on our campus. The ongoing pressures of modern life, coupled with the lingering effects of the pandemic, have led to a significant rise in mental health issues across all age groups, with a significant spike in student communities. Despite the scale of the challenge, mental health research remains significantly underfunded.
Every discovery begins with a question and a gift to the York Mental Health Research Fund will help our researchers to find the answer, turning it into a practical solution for someone in need.